The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-04-22
JESS.
RyHRIpER HAcsARp.
0aR'T'l'Nes selemo1sAuees SkGEle

"Captaiu'" he said, interrosatively; "a shiI
captain, supposed"
"Nc," said John, "a captain Of the English
army"
"Oh, rooibaatje (red Jacket. Well,
don't wonder at your taking to farming after
the Zulu war;"
II don't quito understand you" said John;
rather coldly.
"Oh, no offense, captain, no offense. ]
only meant that you rooibaatje did not come
very well out of the war. was there with
Pet Uys, and 1t was sight, can tell you.
A Zulu had only to show himself at night and
one would see your regiments skreck (stam-
pede) like a span Of oxen when they wind q
lion. And then they'd fre-ah, they did fire
anyhow, anywhere, but mostly at the
you sec, thought that you would like to turn
your sword into ploughshare, as the Bible
says-but no offense, I'm sure-no offense."
All this while John Mel, being English to
his backbone, and cherishing the reputation
of his profession almost as dearly as his own
honor, was boiling with inward wrath, which
was all the fiercer because he knew that there
was some truth in the Beers insults. He had
the sense, however, to keep his temper-out-
wardly, at any rate
II was not in the Zulu war, Mr.. Muller"
he said, and just then old Silas Croft came
riding up, and the conversation dropped
Mr.. Frank Muller stopped to dinner and
far on into the afternoon. His lost OK seemed
to have entirely slipped his memory. There
he sat close to the fair Bessie, smoking and
drinking gin and water, and talking with
great volublity in English, sprinkled with
Boer Dutch terms that John Mel did not
NIL <ho1 1nI,v
manner which John somehow found un-
pleasant OF course it was no affair Of his,
and he had no interest in the matter, but for
all that he found the remarkable looking
Dutchman exceedingly disagreeable. At last,
indeed, he could stand it no longer, and hob
bled out for little walk with jess, who, in
her abrupt way, offered to show him the
garden.
"You don't like that man?" she said to him,
as they slowly went down the slope in front
of the house.
"No; do your
II think" replied jess, slowly and with
much emphasis, "that he is the most odious
man that l ever saw, and the most curious" |
And then she relapsed into silence. only |
broken now and again by an occasional re-
mark about the flowers and trees.
Half an hour afterward, when they arrived
again at the top of the slope, Mr. Muller was
just riding off down the avenue of blue
gums. BY the veranda stood Hottentot
named Jantje who had been holding the
Dutchman's horse. He was curious, wizened
up little fellow, dressed in rags, and with
hair like the worn tags of black wooden
carpet His age might have been anything
between 25 and 60; it was impossible to form
an opinion on the point, Just now however
his yellow monkey face was convulsed with
an expression of intense malignity, and
he was standing there in the sunshine
cursing rapidly and beneath his breath in
Dutch, and shaking his fist after the retreat
ing Boer-a very epitome of impotent, over.
mastering passion.
"What is he doing?" asked John.
jess laughed. "Jantje does not like Frank
Muller any more than l do, but don't know
Why He will never tell me-"